Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
N.H. patents through Sept. 3
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through Sept. 2. *** Adaptive Angle Sensor ALLEGRO MICROSYSTEMS, LLC, Manchester,...
Rising sea levels aren’t just a problem above the ground
Rising sea levels cause all sorts of problems, of course, but one of them is invisible: It increases the likelihood of salt water oozing into fresh-water aquifers, which taints wells. Here's a story from the New Bedford Light in Massachusetts: This phenomenon is...
$100 NH surcharge on electric vehicles seems … OK?
In a rational world, we would pay for road construction and upkeep by charging cars, trucks and motorcycles on a per-mile basis with a weight multiplier, thus reflecting the actual usage and damage that we do. It could also include a small set fee to reflect the fact...
Linux guru ‘maddog’ ponders inorganic intelligence (A.I. to you and me)
Jon “maddog” Hall is many things, most notably a Linux guru and New Hampshire’s most famous software evangelist, but here’s what he isn’t: Reassuring about the arrival of the technologies known as artificial intelligence. Consider this exchange during a recent...
Looking for big – really big – trees
The hunt for large trees in New Hampshire is a delightful pasttime, which is why I have written about it many times. But another story is always fun, so check out this piece from New Hampshire Bulletin, the independent online news source, which notes the...
FIRST Robotics moves to the dark side?
Noticed while putting together the weekly list of New Hampshire patents: Dean Kamen's DEKA Research has filed a patent application for a Security Robot that has not of the cutesy roundness of most such robots. It looks like a wingless StarFighter on end placed atop...
N.H. patents through Aug. 27
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through Aug. 27. *** Cell Culture Vessels With Stabilizer Devices CORNING INC.,...
Huge, persistent algae bloom clogs the Gulf of Maine
New Hampshire Bulletin has an article about a "big, brown and baffling" bloom in the Gulf of Maine. Whole article is here. An unusually large bloom of brown algae in the Gulf of Maine has caught the attention of scientists from across New England. So much so, an...
Coal down, solar up
In 2013, coal generated 175 times as much electricity as solar power in the US. Within a decade, in 2022, coal was generating less than 5 times as much electricity (incl. estimated rooftop solar). So far this year, coal has generated slightly more than twice as much...
Drone near emergency keeps medical helicopter from taking off
WMUR reports (here) that a medical flight from a motorcycle accident in New Ipswich stayed on the ground for 10 minutes because a drone was flying nearby. Officials said they believe the drone operator saw the helicopter land and then put the drone up to investigate. ...
Return to the Concord MonitorAbout Granite Geek
Dave Brooks has written a science/tech column since 1991 – yes, that long – and has written this blog since 2006, keeping an eye on topics of geekish interest in and around New Hampshire, from software to sea level rise, population dynamics to printing (3-D, of course). He moderates monthly Science Cafe NH discussions, beer in hand, and discusses the geek world regularly on WGIR-AM radio..
Brooks earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics but got lost on the way to the Ivory Tower and ended up in a newsroom. He has reported for newspapers from Tennessee to New England. Rummage through his bag of awards you’ll find oddities like three Best Blog prizes from the New Hampshire Press Association and a Writer of the Year award from the N.H. Farm and Forest Bureau, of all places. He joined the Concord Monitor in 2015.